The Ketamine Empathy Effect: Can a Drug Make You Care More?

Dr. Tracy Marks discusses new research on ketamine's potential to enhance empathy and social connection. The study, led by Dr. Evan Hess, explores ketamine's inactogen effects in both humans and rats. Human participants reported increased social pleasure, while rats showed empathic behavior by avoiding actions that harm others. The research suggests ketamine could aid in treating conditions with empathy deficits, though more studies are needed. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding social outcomes in psychedelic research and the potential for ketamine to support empathy development in therapeutic settings.

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